November 27, 2007

Texas State Rep. Susan King visits McMurry University Teacher Education Program

Texas District 71 State Rep. Susan King visited the McMurry University School of Education recently and met with teachers and students during a question and answer forum.

James Shelton, Certification Officer and moderator for the program, talked briefly about McMurry’s success in teachers’ education, including the University’s 100 percent passing rate on the state certification examination during past academic year. According to Dean, Perry K. Haley-Brown , McMurry was cited as the only university in Abilene that provides Bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) certification. The School of Education has been ranked in the Top 10 in Texas in retention of teachers. Also, McMurry is first university in Abilene to get Department of Defense clearance to place student teachers overseas in DOD schools.

McMurry has a FasTrack Program for candidates seeking Texas teacher certification. The School of Education has an on-line course selection which has proven very popular. Shelton said more than half of the students enrolled in the FasTrack program took their classes on-line.

Participants discussed the opportunity at McMurry to qualify for a paid internship in lieu of student teaching. To be selected for the program, students must apply for an internship through the School of Education. Principals in Texas school districts interview intern candidates and then place them for the internship year. Each intern is assigned to a mentor teacher at the school. The interns are also supervised during the year-long experience by a university supervisor. Interns are usually hired in areas where there is a shortage of qualified teachers. Candidates must have a degree before applying for an internship.

McMurry’s field-based component is the key to the University’s success in training teachers. Professors observe students during their first course and have opportunities for classroom/student interaction throughout the teacher education program.

“We actually get to practice what we’ve been learning. Our teachers have been in classrooms themselves. They’ve given us all the tools necessary to handle any situation,” said Scott Lawson, an 8-12 grade certification student from Levelland, Texas.

After the forum, Rep. King had lunch in President’s Dining Room with the McMurry faculty, academic deans, and HSU School of Education faculty.